Heart Failure
by xanaxana
Summary: Good with numbers and a sexually talented: Financial Executive for ShinRa, Riseon Wolfe gets caught up in another odd liaison after a trip to Costa Del Sol. Sephiroth/OC slight Lazard/OC M for language and loads o' sexual reference.
1. Chapter 1

AN: So I decided to re-write this chapter because it didn't fit with where the story was going. But I still will keep some of the essence of the old version of this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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**Heart Failure**

"Oh my God!" A young woman paced back and forth, running her hands through her hair, a fixed expression of anger planted on her face.

"You need to calm down," Sephiroth said from behind her, shaking his head, making his long silver hair sway from one side to the other. Riseon turned sharply, her eyes squinting out of malice.

"I need to calm down?! I'll calm down when the pilot," she stopped to look at the golden watch on her wrist, "who is forty-five minutes late gets his ass here to fly me back home!"

"What if he's a she?" Zack's voice asked purposely trying to get a rise out of her. Riseon closed her eyes and ran her hands through her crimson hair, mimicking what he just said in a child like voice. Before he could blink the irate woman was less than a foot away from him, glaring.

"Zack Fair if you contradict what I say one more time, I'm going to make sure that your genitals--" strange and muddled, the sound of chopper blades slicing through the sky reached her ears, cutting her off. She turned to see the helicopter that was the heart of all of her irritation banking to land on the pad.

"Thank you!" she sighed, closing her eyes and throwing her hands up in the air, running to grab her things.

"This isn't calming down" Sephiroth remarked, watching the red headed woman bend over to pick up her luggage. Pausing to look at him, Riseon shrugged and continued her way to the now fully landed chopper. Zack was still in shock that a corporate official like Riseon Wolfe would threaten him in such a manner. Sephiroth noticed and let out a low laugh, shaking his head again.

"Tseng was right. We shouldn't have agreed to this trip."

* * *

Once inside the helicopter, Riseon gave the pilot a piece of her mind. The curse words flew left and right, and occasionally ricocheting of the front window and hitting the poor man in the face once more.

After the five-minute scolding, Riseon calmed down, her burgundy hair now tousled and her eyes locked on the General sitting next to her. Her eyes wondered the fraction of his face that was not complete blocked off. His chiseled features were chilling.

"Miss Wolfe, have you no shame?" the silvered hair man, finally turning his face to meet hers. She grunted and the frowned, the sudden movement ruined her examining of the left side of his face. Which was starting to become a fancy of hers.

"Should I?" she questioned, her eyes wondering down to the revealed fair chest that was peeking from his armor. This amused Sephiroth, earning Riseon a smirk and a raise of his thin eyebrows.

"What about your social standing? You came from a wealthy family; don't you at least need the least bit of humility?" Riseon sneered and turned her gaze to something else.

"My social standing doesn't mean shit," it was his turn to eye her appearance. His eyes traveled from the scar next to her right eye to the tattoo snaking up from her back to the sides of her neck.

"Why is that?" his eyes traveled down farther, noticing her near flat chest.

"Surely a man of your intelligence would've noticed," she shifted awkwardly under his watch, "I made it to the pinnacle of success without the help of my family and my social status. So why should I need them now?"

Sephiroth was impressed with her strong personality and will; he looked back up to her eyes, which were now ablaze with some sort of hatred.

"I have the social standing and the wealth of a ShinRa, but the personality of a hood rat, of _course_ I don't _need _them." The arrogance that Sephiroth knew was there finally shown through the odd and obnoxious façade.

"But why do you need to act like a hood rat?" Riseon turned her body to face his, as if she was ready to explain something.

"The corporate world doesn't see women as profitable, unless, you know, she's a prostitute. So for a woman to prove herself in a world run by male genitals, she needs nice tits, a curvy body, or the personality of a fuckin' prison guard." she sighed, "and I guess I'm just a first-rate candidate for the latter" Sephiroth nodded knowingly. A wicked thought came to him that was too good to pass up.

"So you're comparing yourself to Scarlet," he pursed his lips together and widened his eyes, waiting for her response. Riseon's relaxed expression finally broke as she started to fume.

"You think I look like that coyote ugly whore?" Riseon growled, eyes narrowed in malevolence, "you were just eyeing me up a few minutes ago, and don't tell me that you would possibly do that to Scarlet, the cheap tramp who slept her way to where she is today?"

"And you're saying that you didn't sleep with some people to get where you are?"

Riseon pursed her lips, taking time to choose her words carefully. Sephiroth had heard things about her; people were always talking about who she slept with. She didn't come off as a slut; she wasn't even hitting on him.

"A couple," she let out a sigh, "But I didn't really sleep with them to get promoted…Actually, both of the one night stands were after I got promoted…"

"Who was it?" he pushed.

"Come again??"

"Don't play dumb. Who did you sleep with?"

"Seriously, you haven't heard the rumors?" she questioned, "I mean, I know people talk about me. I know people have very little respect for me…" she trailed off.

"No I didn't hear the rumors, just tell me." He leaned towards her. Sephiroth knew he was giving is hopes up; the odds of her telling him were slim.

"Lazard Deusericus and Xavier Clayton," she blurted out, not seeming fazed at all.

Sephiroth did a good job at hiding the amused look on his face, but deep down inside he was pretty shocked. Xavier, a high ranking executive in the weapons department didn't seem like the kind of guy who would go for a girl like Riseon. She was too…average…compared to all the other girls he was usually fucking.

"Scandalous? I know, Xavier even told me that my ass was too small and my tits weren't big enough. But he didn't protest to anything that night," she looked contemplative for a moment before turning back to face him.

"What about you? What's your type?" Sephiroth shrugged. Not used to being asked a question about something he never thought about.

"I don't really have a _type_."

"Oh, c'mon you have to." Her toothy grin looking abnormal on such a usually serious woman.

"I truly don't." Sephiroth's annoyance level was starting to rise; he didn't like talking about his sex life. Especially with someone like her. Sensing his awkwardness, Riseon tried to drop the subject to a more casual level, but as usual failing miserably and wound up making a flirtatious comment.

"Well what about me?" she cringed heavily on the inside and felt her face starting to burn.

"Excuse me, but we're about to land in Costa del Sol," the pilot's assistant shouted to the back.

"Okay!" Riseon sharply turned her head to the side to yell back forcefully. The assistant rolled his eyes and leaned back into the cockpit.

Riseon looked back to Sephiroth expectantly. The helicopter abruptly yanked to the side, shoving Zack into Riseon, and ramming Riseon into Sephiroth. The curse words flowed like a fountain from the woman and she looked back up at Sephiroth, who was now totally uncomfortable.

"Your tits are too small," he effortlessly pushed her off of him, leaving her stunned and damn near revolted. Her face distorted into a completely hysterical expression.

"Okay, guy's we're here…" Zack tried his best to avoid the on coming battle by quickly following Sephiroth out. Riseon continued to stare where Sephiroth was sitting, her ego now fully deflated.

Stuttering but in the end finding her voice, "My boobies are just fine, you son-of-a-bitch!"

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Review! =D


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: So there are major updates about the progress of this story! Forgive me if the following seems a tad bit incoherent it's 6 in the morning where I'm at and I've gone 24 hours without sleep._

_-I decided to keep writing this story cos I got some good inspiration. Last month I wrote the next three parts, but I still have alot of editing to do and revising and a few other things! So I will push out the next couple of chapters in a nice amount of time. =D_

_-I have decided to make this story more interesting, it's not going to be solely Sephiroth/Riseon (as you will see in this chapter.) _

_-Remember how I mentioned in the first chapter that she slept with Rufus? Well I accidentally meant Lazard. I don't know how I made that mistake but I went back and read it today and I was like 'OMG' considering that Riseon is about 24 and Rufus would be around his late teens.  
_

_-This is rather odd but I'm considering making this a part of a trilogy thats is going to be from 3 different romances that take place before CC. (Genesis/OC and Reno/Ciss)  
_

_-I have this (soon to be very complex and fucked up) story completely planned out and to be quite frank, I'm proud of it. =3  
_

_So as usual, please R&R because I really love them and I do indeed use them as inspiration. Please point out any mistakes and fuck ups I make . If anyone wants to send me ideas or help me in any way they can you can contact me thru my email (which is on my profile)_

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**Regret**

After the nonchalant display of insensitivity and bitterness from the silver haired general, another exhibit of curse words and threats spewed from the petite red-head.

"That's total bullshit, and you know it. There is nothing," she paused and took a breath, "and I mean _nothing_, wrong with my body." The trio was now walking to the limo parked outside of the massive hanger, leaving their luggage to be taken care of by three young boys who were obviously trying to stay as far away from the fuming female as possible.

"You know what?" she pushed on, "it doesn't matter; you criticize the proportions of my body but everyone around the building knows why that damn piece of metal you carry around with you is so _enormous_…" Sephiroth halted and spun sharply to face the young woman.

"Enlighten me." He stated simply, his freakishly icy glare burning into her light hazel ones. Her mouth fell, and her face flushed; being in close proximity with a particularly scary person wasn't exactly her comfort zone. Quickly, she attempted to regain her bearings, but failed miserably. The general took note of this and smirked in such self-satisfaction it made her physically sick. She struggled once more; this time stepped back and straightened up. Now back to her typical infuriated state she shot her most wicked expression at him,

"_**Compensation**_," she spat stomped off to the limo, leaving a now furious general and fearful 2nd class soldier behind.

* * *

Zack, albeit terrified, was in awe of how ShinRa had made the arrangements for this trip; a stretch limo and now a swank resort walking distance from the beach.

"Could they make this trip anymore awesome?" his face was beaming with excitement. Riseon noticed this and decided to put her qualms with Sephiroth aside for the time being and patted Zack on the shoulder,

"You'll have fun here. One day I'll take you out and show you around. After all," she picked up one of her bags, "you are here with a native," she winked and gave him a sweet smile.

"Don't give your hopes up on that Zack. After all you are here on business and no matter how much Miss Wolfe insists on this being a vacation, it isn't," Sephiroth's stern expression was fixated on Riseon's back, examining the top of the large, colorful tattoo. He heard a soft scoff come from the woman as she made the first steps to the doors of the foyer of the hotel.

* * *

Riseon took in her surroundings as she stepped into her own suite. Smiling at the sight of the Victorian style room she set a couple of her bags on the king size bed. Across from the bed were two large glass doors leading out to a nice sized balcony, where she now stood, still in awe. Breaking from her awe-like state she whipped out her cell phone, her slender, lanky fingers typing in the numbers to get in touch with the man who did this for her. The phone rang a few times before a velvet-like voice answered:

"This is Lazard Deusericus speaking,"

"You really out did yourself this time, y'know," she leaned her back against the elegant railing of the balcony.

"Ah, I was eager to hear how the arrangements worked out. Is everything up to par, Miss Wolfe?" the hint of playfulness in his voice made her smile.

"It's perfect," she chuckled. The conversation was light and playful; she told him about the trip there and how much she hated the General and he told her about some recent work that had been put into his hands. She loved talking with him, perhaps a little too much.

"Do you know who could make it even better?" The redhead question spoke before fully comprehending what she was saying. A pause came from the other line.

"What could make it better Riseon?" His once lighthearted voice now replaced by a dark tone, a tone that knew exactly what she was doing. Riseon instantly felt in the wrong for bringing it up. This is how it always started, just as soon as they stopped playing this game, she would flirt and then he would return the favor, they would go on like this for weeks until they wound up sleeping with one another, thus ending the game. The vicious circle they were in never appeared to end.

"You know _who_ I'm talking about, _Lazard_," she cringed from embarrassment as she put such a seductive emphasis on his name. She was considering leaping off of the balcony at this point. She was well aware that her unnecessary sweet-talk would get her no where except in bed for a night of ignorant bliss with little to no sentiment put into it, when what she wanted was love.

"I'm afraid I don't, Riseon. Now tell me; who do you wish was with you?" he nearly snapped, and she didn't blame him. She was playing a game that most of the time, if not all, left both of them miserable. Riseon sighed and ran a hand through her hair,

"I wish yo-" she was cut short by a calling of her name. Riseon took this as a key opportunity, "I'm going now, bye," and hung up before he could say anything. She quickly walked into her room to find Zack standing in awe,

"What do you want, Fair?" she snapped, now bitter because of how she needed to end the dialogue with a man that she did indeed care about. Zack stared at her and held his hands in front of his chest,

"I-I'm sorry Miss Wolfe, I didn't mean to disturb you, I just wanted to tell you that Sephiroth has just left for an important meeting and left me here…" his voice trailed off and he scratched his head. The woman raised a thin, red eyebrow and tilted her head,

"Are _you_ trying to ask me out?" Zack's blue eyes shot up and his face turned a shade of pink. Riseon was cracking up as his expression on the inside. She knew very well that he didn't come in here to ask her out on a date but was coming in here to ask her to show him around. She continued to keep her stern expression though.

"No- I mean, well…Yes…But- not in a _romantic_ way!" He stuttered and faltered, trying to make a coherent sentence but succeeded in making himself look like a dumbass.

"Calm down, will you?" the red head now smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "I'm just fucking with you." Zack was now giggling, trying to recover from his panicked state.

"I'll show you around, but just give me a bit. I have some calls that I need to make." Zack nodded and stepped out of her room. Snatching her mobile to call Lazard back; she stepped out on the balcony, and looked around at the scenery. The phone continued to ring until it came to his voicemail. Frowning, she hung up and called again.

He always answers…No matter the circumstances.

The phone now went straight to voicemail. Riseon slowly took the phone away from her ear, closed it and slid it into her back pocket. The breeze had now picked up a bit, and clouds were rolling in from the coast. The red head felt a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. She felt guilty. She felt like she had just pissed away a friendship that she considered her rock. Her hazel eyes now glazed over as she felt the emotion taking a hold of her. She wanted him. She needed him.

She took out her cell phone once more to text Zack that she saw storms coming in and that she thought it would be better to hang out tomorrow. She wiped the oncoming tears and quickly made her way back into her room. As she laid down on the soft comforter she wiped her eyes once more and whispered to herself before falling into a restless sleep,

"_I wish you were here with me." _

_

* * *

_Sephiroth was almost in shock of what he just saw. The ruthless, tiny woman was crying. He couldn't make out the conversation but he knew who it was with, and he saw the after effects of it.

"Sir, we're ready to leave," A young man called for the general. Sephiroth waved a hand and finally tore his eyes off of the balcony which Riseon had just left. He shook off what little concern he had for her and slid into the car.

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Review please!!! =D


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Whew, I don't know what to say about this chapter. I'm so happy that the band Blue October exists or this chapter wouldn't have been as depressing as it is, lol. When I was writing the last half of this chapter I was listening to Amazing by Blue October and it just completely took over. So the last half (with her on the phone and on) is induced by depressing lyrics (I suggest you go hear the song, its good, albeit sad). By the way in the chapter after next is when things between Riseon and Sephiroth get a little complicated.

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own anything. D=

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**Amazing**

Riseon was in an uncomfortable state; somewhere between awake and asleep. Bringing a hand up to wipe the cold sweat from her face, she rolled on her right side to look at the digital alarm clock on the nightstand which read 10:34. She let out a heavy, sleepy groan and sat up with her back supported by the gigantic head board. She stared out at the balcony, which was tinted by a beautiful shade of pale blue, and thought about the events that happened over the past 12 hours. She'd gotten into two verbal confrontations with one of the most feared men on the planet, and blew off the only person she could envision being in a relationship with. The nauseating sensations of disillusionment and blame filled her stomach and ultimately spread through her whole entire body.

Hesitant, she reached for her cell phone and opened it. She had two new text messages and a voice message. She groggily read the text messages,

_thts cool we'll just go out 2moro k? –zack_

Seeing the number of the second text message, her heart skipped a beat, it was from Lazard.

_call me, plz. _

As soon as she read it, the recognizable feeling of anxiousness settled itself in the pit of her stomach. Riseon thought about calling him immediately, but decided against it. She wanted to get up, take a shower, and get something to eat before she did anything. The coolness of the floor gave her a pleasant chill as she shuffled into the large bathroom. Not wasting any time she quickly turned on the water and stripped off her dress and undergarments and stepped into the shower, thinking of what Lazard was going to say when she did call him.

* * *

Now refreshed, Riseon sat on the edge of her bed. Holding the small mobile phone, allowing her to think through what she was going to say to Lazard. Tonight was the night she was going to tell him that she loved him. She'd thought about doing it once she got back to Midgar but decided that it would be better to do so tonight. It was late, but Lazard always got home at about 11:00 every night, and went to sleep at about midnight.

She dialed his home number and brought the phone up to her ear; listening to the first monotone ring resonate throughout the small device. Meanwhile, her thoughts were racing.

_This is wrong. I shouldn't be doing this. He's going to reject me._

The second ring sounded.

_Hang up! Just hang up and you'll save yourself from rejection._

The third.

_He wouldn't want to be in a relationship with a whore._

The fourth.

_Please don't answer Lazard, please, don't._

The fifth.

_I'm hanging up._

"Hello?" A languid voice breathed through the phone. Riseon couldn't speak. Her voice had vanished with the heaps of thoughts that were running through her head.

_Hang up! Just hang up, he won't know it was you. Just hang up—_

"I love you." Her voice had betrayed her. There was an abnormal silence coming from the other end. She knew that he was smart enough to figure out that it was her who had just confessed her love for him. The silence remained, as with the emotional torture of not knowing what he was thinking. A thousand possibilities were running through her mind. Some telling her he couldn't feel the same, but the others telling her that the silence was a way for him to think about how he was going to tell her that he loved her back.

_Fat fucking chance._

"I—Riseon…" she closed her eyes. His guard was down; the tone of his voice was different. She cherished it when he said her name without the restrictions of their business relationship which made the three syllables stiff and lifeless.

"I shouldn't have called," Riseon was able to muster up enough strength to make her voice not quiver. She heard him sigh,

"I don't want to ruin our friendship…" Although she was troubled she couldn't help her tongue.

"We ruined our friendship the first time we_ fucked_ each other," she said, her bitterness seeping through her words.

"Riseon, please, don't be this way," he almost sounded like he was begging.

"Don't try to make me feel better or defend yourself," she moped, "I can understand. I'm a slut" in the back of her mind, she knew it was wrong to try to get someone to love her through pity, but she couldn't help herself.

"Riseon, no, please just hear me out…" he begged; his once calm voice now distorted and strained with desperation. Riseon felt ashamed when she took pleasure in hearing him beg.

_You're a sick human being, Riseon._

"No, Lazard. You've surprisingly made your point crystal clear without even saying that you don't love me." She spat, mainly enraged at herself for taking pleasure in the pain of a person who she loves.

"Riseon, just listen to me," he yelled, "6 months ago I wanted a relationship. I wasn't in love with you but I was getting pretty damn close to falling. I'm not exacting revenge on you; because I still like you as a friend and I do care about you. I simply don't love you. I'm sorry, Riseon. But I'm quitting this game, no more teasing, no more senseless fucking. It's over Riseon."

Riseon was silenced. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, and she just wanted to be dead. A rapid fire thought process ran through her mind. His eyes, his hair, his tall and lanky physique, the clothing, the gloves, his voice, his glasses, the way he said her name, the first night they slept one another, his office, the times he held her hand, how he spoilt her, the hotel room, the balcony, the bed she was sitting on right now; she hated all of it. The bliss of ignorant love had turned into an illusion of false promises and hate. She couldn't even bring herself to cry. Her emotions were going bat shit insane. The misery of reality had just set in. He didn't love her.

"You _hate_ me," the words had made her want to vomit.

"No, I don't hate you. Why do you have to see everything in black and white? Can't I like you without having to love you or hate you?!" He yelled, exacerbating the irrational thoughts that were taking over her whole being.

"I love you…" her voice broke and quivered. She sounded so naïve, so vulnerable, and she hated it.

"I don't love you." He replied solemnly. The cell phone had made its way across the room, hit the wall and made an awful sound when it broke. She sank from the edge of the bed to the floor, her head in her hands. She wanted to bawl. She cried earlier when he had just simply not answered the phone after she rudely hung up on him. Why couldn't she cry now?

_If I killed myself he would feel sorry._

Her eyes glazed over and she took off the bracelet that he bought her and broke it, making all of the obsidian beads spread out on the floor.

_I hate him. I hate myself._

A knock at her door didn't even faze her. Riseon grabbed her bag from on the bed behind her and took out anything that he had given her over the past year and broke it. A small elegantly designed notebook, a necklace, a cell phone charm, and lastly she took out her lighter and burned the picture of the both of them at a company party that she always carried with her.

"Miss Wolfe?" A deep voice called out. Her robotic like state was broken and her head snapped up to look at the reflection of bright mako eyes and long hair from the glass doors of the balcony.

With the sound of a click, the room was illuminated by a golden light fixture. The general walked over to where he sitting position was, to see a tousled redhead with tear streaks running down her face surrounded by broken and burned objects. She didn't even acknowledge him, but kept here gaze locked on the doors.

"Miss Wolfe," his voice faltered, he didn't know what to say, "I came into check on you. Zack and I heard something and when you didn't answer…" his voice trailed off. This was awkward for him. The dramatic change from the brash, haughty, and impolite woman in the helicopter had gone to an emotional, destructive, hormonal girl was too much to take in.

"I—Uh…" He paused, trying to think of the best way to approach this, "I'm sorry for whatever happened." Riseon raised and eye brow and turned to look at him. His sincerity was indeed there, but this was indeed out of character for him. She didn't really take him as the apologize-for-something-you-didn't-even-do-but-out-of-sympathy type. Nodding, she turned her gaze back to the doors.

"I'll leave. Just remember in the morning we all have a meeting to go to. Then we can take Zack out." He paced to the main door of the suite, and turned around to look at her.

"Good night, Miss." With that he switched off the light and shut the door with a tiny click.

Riseon felt calmer and steadier. She picked up her mess and went out on the balcony to smoke and think over the events that had just happened. She was still distraught but she put her emotions aside and made the promise to herself that there would be no love in her life. That it was something that she didn't need.

The rest of the night she spent out on the balcony, occasionally drifting off into a light sleep.

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Review Please! =D


	4. Chapter 4

AN: So this one took me awhile to finish. Erm. At the end there is some very minor fluffiness. Which was honestly unintended, but oh well. Enjoy! =]

Please Review!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

**Reflections**

"It's already 8:12, we're going to be late," Sephiroth groaned. Zack seemed to be in a daze; staring out of the large foyer windows to the idle limo.

"Zack, are you sure she said she would be coming?" The General sighed, slightly reclining back into the leather chair placed in the lobby. Zack turned to where his back was now facing the glass.

"Yes. I she was all ready when I talked to her…" his voice faded when he heard the distinct clicking of heels on the floor. Both of their heads turned to see the long-awaited woman making her way down the corridor, skimming through a folder.

Sephiroth rose from his seat and made his way over to Zack. After the awkward encounter between Sephiroth and Riseon the night before, Sephiroth had lied to Zack about what happened; telling him that she was ill and by accident knocked her night table over.

"Hello, Miss Wolfe," Zack threw a friendly smile her way; she raised her head up from the file and close it.

"Good morning, gentlemen. I say we'd better get going," the grinned she passed was so fake it made Sephiroth roll his eyes.

* * *

Already 20 minutes on the road and Riseon hadn't spoken a word to either SOLDIER but instead drowned herself in last minute preparations for the upcoming meeting. Sephiroth had to give her credit; considering her state last night, she must be one hell of an actress.

"Excuse me," Zack voiced uncertainly, "What exactly is this meeting for, and why do Sephiroth and I have to go?" Riseon raised her head up and switched her sight from Zack to Sephiroth, who was now also inquisitive about this meeting.

"ShinRa is trying to buy out a small weapon making company," she paused, "Level 5 inc. needs some persuasion. ShinRa has been trying for months to get them to give in. But alas, nothing has happened." The dramatic twist on the last sentence made Zack feel more comfortable.

"Do you know why ShinRa is so interested in them?" Sephiroth asked.

"I don't know." She stated just a bit too quickly. She knew what they wanted from the company. Level 5 was a tiny facility outside of Costa del Sol that made some exceptionally powerful weapons. She was pretty surprised that not even Sephiroth knew about this.

"You're a terrible liar," Riseon chuckled casually at Sephiroth's accusation.

"Spot on; but now you know not to ask anymore questions," she mumbled matter-of-factly, looking downward at her folders.

"But you didn't say why Sephiroth and I have to go…" Zack said timidly.

"Well…They have reasons to think that ShinRa would fuck them over; hence they want this meeting to take place at their place, under their standards, and under their security. And…Well, look at me, Zack;" she laughed cynically, "I'm the most hopeless fighter in the company. I can't even shoot a fucking gun. None the less protect myself if anything were to happen." Riseon heard a snigger rise from the General.

"Go ahead and laugh; I've been made fun of all my life for being pathetic," her shoulders shrugged, "It's nothing new."

"Did you want to learn how to fight?" Zack's question took her off guard. Setting the folders aside she relaxed in her seat and crossed her arms.

"With all seriousness I never really thought about it. Growing up I never really had a reason. Even now I don't feel the need or the desire to learn…"

"You didn't get beat up when you were younger?" Zack giggled, "You're quite the loudmouth as it is; I'm assuming you were the same as a child."

"I had my siblings to defend me," The redhead flashed a toothy grin. She had Zack's full attention now. There was a second class SOLDIER named Andric Wolfe, but he had never made a correlation between the two.

"Do you have a brother?" He asked, leaning forward.

"I have two brothers and one sister." Riseon shifted in her seat.

"Andric; do you have a brother named Andric?" Sephiroth inquired, apparently thinking the same thing as Zack.

"Yes. He's my younger brother." She affirmed. Andric was 4 years younger than her. But he seemed like her older brother at times.

"He's a good person." Sephiroth stated sincerely. Riseon nodded in agreement.

"Andric is a saint. He might be the only rational person in the family." Stillness fell over the group. Riseon stared out the window; they weren't too far away now.

"What about you, Zack? Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Riseon broke the slightly uncomfortable silence.

"Nope; just me and my folks." he shook his head.

"Where are you from?"

"Gongaga," she nodded her head and smiled,

"You're a country boy, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am," his bright smile seemed to make her mood lighten. She turned to Sephiroth,

"What about you Sephiroth? You have any siblings?" The General shook his head, a solemn look on his face. Riseon sensed this and dropped the personal questions.

"Miss Wolfe, how old are you?"

"Mister Fair, how old are _you_?" she shot back, her eyes narrowing.

"16, ma'am," he answered.

"Answering a question with another question; that's a form of avoidance isn't it, Miss Wolfe?" Sephiroth threw in, good-naturedly. Riseon jeered playfully at the General and turned her attention back to Zack.

"I'm a good deal older than you, Zack." She nodded, concealing her distaste. She couldn't believe that she was almost 10 years older than him.

"Sephiroth, you're 23, right?" Sephiroth nodded at Zack, and then stared at Riseon, who now had a puzzled look on her face.

"You're only 23?" she gasped. She'd expected him to be in his late 20s maybe early 30s.

"Yes, I know I look much older." He confirmed her thoughts. Riseon was now embarrassed, she was the oldest one.

"You never answered, Miss Wolfe." Zack shot humorously. Riseon groaned; it was only a matter of time before they would find out in the first place.

"I'm 25…Almost 26..." she physically winced at how that sounded, "Shit, I'm old." Both of the SOLDIER spewed laughter, making Riseon drop her face into her hands. After a few more agonizing minutes in the limo; the vehicle stopped. Riseon slid out of the car first and waited for the other men to get out. She turned to face them and the older man who was driving the limo.

"Zack you will be staying the lobby, I will accompany Miss Wolfe into the actual meeting." Zack's face showed disappointed. He wanted to be able to at least do something productive. Sephiroth took note of this and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before the three made their way up to the entrance of the factory.

* * *

Two hours. Two long, mind-numbing hours Zack had been sitting in the same spot; avoiding the scrutinizing gaze of the old, dried up receptionist. He felt violated and wanted nothing more than to run out of the building, go back to the hotel, take a shower and forget her face. She wasn't the only one staring; ever since the three entered, gunmen had been watching them. A majority following Sephiroth and Riseon into the back conference room but still a few passed by occasionally to make sure Zack wasn't trying anything.

Zack's head shot to the left when he heard the doors to the conference room open. Swiftly standing up he saw Sephiroth briskly to Riseon's left, his hand on her middle back, guiding her. Sephiroth's eyes caught Zack's and he jerked his head towards the doors. The dark haired SOLDIER hastily opened the doors and followed them outside, taking note of the grimace on Riseon's face.

"What happened?" the young man whispered, keeping an eye on the gunmen who were still watching the three intently as they quickly made their way down the front steps of the building. Once at the bottom Sephiroth opened the door to the limo, letting Riseon get in first.

"Sir," Sephiroth called to the older man driving the limo, who looked alarmed at Sephiroth's authoritative, firm tone. "Drive please; I don't think they appreciate our presence any longer." The old man nodded and rapidly started the vehicle. Zack looked at Riseon; arms crossed and an ungodly severe expression implanted on her face. He then looked at Sephiroth, who had a calmer aura about him than when he stepped out of the room.

"What happened?" Zack repeated.

"He knows my father," her answer dripped with frustration.

"Who?"

"Mister Owens...The owner of the company."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You obviously don't know who my father is. Or the rest of my family for that matter…Sans Andric." The haughtiness that she typically hid reared its ugly head. Sephiroth's eyes were burning a hole into her, yet she was too pissed off to even take notice.

"He had the gull to bring my family's relations into a meeting about a completely different thing." She took a breath, reaching in to the pocket of her dress slacks to pull out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, "As well as the audacity to say that I was a dishonest, money-grubbing, attention whore like my father…Which I won't deny exactly but he still shouldn't have brought it up. That's unbelievably ill-mannered. Cunt-face…"

"Alright Miss Wolfe, that's enough rage for now. When we get back to the hotel, contact Scarlet and Lazard. Tell them that there was a conflict in interest." Sephiroth attempted to get through to the red head that was now preoccupied with a cigarette hanging from her mouth and hands fumbling at trying to get the lighter to work. Ultimately giving up she let the lighter drop to the floor of the limo and examined the cigarette.

"I need to quit…" she muttered.

"Did you hear a damn word that I just said?" Sephiroth demanded.

"My phone's broken." Her eyes didn't break from the tiny object she gripped between her fingers.

"Excuse me?" his eyes narrowed. His patience was wearing thin.

"I said my phone is broken!" she replied piercingly, glaring directly at him. Zack looked between the two; both distinct, volatile personalities about to quarrel.

"Well that's not my problem now is it?" Sephiroth sneered viciously, "It's not my fault that you went off and—" he halted himself rapidly. Riseon's expression softened; the memories of the past night flooding in so rapidly that she forgot about the meeting. She knew he saw the broken cell phone; its shattered corpse resting on the floor not far from the entrance.

The awkward silence that fell afterwards was excruciating. Zack's mind wondered to what had really happened when Sephiroth went to check on her the night before. Due to the exchange of words that had just taken place and their actions, something bizarre must've taken place. Zack, now determined to make the rest of the car ride go by as quick as possible, busied himself with his mobile phone.

* * *

Last night; the only thing she could think about. She reflected on the events over and over again. Everything else was swiftly pushed into the back of her mind to be thought about later. She thought about Lazard's rejection and question why she was so upset about it. Nothing had ever stricken her as hard as this.

Suddenly, the car stopped. Riseon took a quick look around her and noticed that they were indeed back in front of the hotel. Swiftly, she weaseled her way out of the limo and walked inside of the hotel. Not even caring about the presence of others she pushed and shoved her way through the buzzing hotel and made it to the elevator in perfect timing. The two men had followed her closely and made it into the elevator with them. Riseon kept her eyes to the marble floor; not wanting to look at them, more specifically Sephiroth.

Once the bell rang she automatically stepped out first and shuffled quickly to her room. Zack went to the opposite end of the hallway, to his room, expecting Sephiroth to do the same because his room was next to Zack's. But Sephiroth followed Riseon down the curved corridor until they both disappeared from the young mans sight.

"Miss Wolfe…" Sephiroth repeated, trying to get her attention. She ignored him blatantly and continued walking.

"Riseon!" his voice pierced her name so hard that she actually stopped; yet she didn't turn to face him.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior. I should have known better than to bring up the events of last night in front of Zackary." His formal apology made her feel sick. Could he be any more insincere? Finally turning to face him, he saw that she was flushed and troubled, yet she acted as if she wasn't fazed.

"Your apology is accepted, you're forgiven." She shifted her weight to her other foot and uncrossed her arms.

"But, I do request something," she paused, scratching the back of her head, "I want to ask you to call Scarlet and Lazard," her voice hitched unusually at his name "Because I feel as if I am biased in this situation and I feel like you would be more suited to make an explanation."

"I will," Sephiroth nodded, it was an easy enough request, albeit odd.

"Thanks," She hiccupped, still trying to maintain her self-possession. They stood awkwardly in the hallway for a bit, waiting for one another to say something. Riseon started to walk backwards to her room; she gave him a small smile and brought up a hand, waving. He nodded his head and turned around, walking to his room.

"Oh wait, Sephiroth!" She looked back once more, he turned his head to see what she wanted, "Please tell Zack that I'll be expecting him to be ready to go out in a couple hours…We were going to go out and just hang around the city…You can come if you want." She swore she saw a hint of a genuine smile on his face,

"Miss Wolfe, I'm afraid I have an appointment in the next few hours. I'll accompany you two on another day, but I'll be sure to remind him." He turned back around to head to his room. Riseon remained where she stood, somewhat disappointed, she had nearly wanted him to go. She shook it off and finally made it to her room, changing into a pair of shorts and a tank top. She pulled out a packet of matches and her cigarettes from her night table, sparing no time she lit one and walked out onto the balcony, where she sat for the next hour, just thinking. Riseon was so fixated in thought that she didn't even notice the General watching her from his balcony.

* * *

Review please!!! =D


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: Sorry for the delay. I really wasn't happy with this chapter, and realistically I'm still not. Oh well, I hope it isn't too awful. ]=_

_Oh yeah and for the reader who asked in a message and for future reference, Riseon is pronounced rice-un.  
_

_Disclaimer: I don't own shit._

* * *

**Demonstration**

Sephiroth's eyes were locked on Riseon. She was an interesting woman; volatile and erratic. Something that was very rare to see in a person of her age.

And now, as she was lounging in one of the chairs on her balcony, smoking, in a profound state, he couldn't fathom the unstable red head that he had become so familiar with over the past few days.

He eventually broke from his train of thought and made his way back into his room. Picking up his cell phone he called Scarlet to keep his word to Riseon. The conversation went smoothly. She must've been busy at the time; not having a lot to say except that it was a shame and that they would just try again.

The General halted before calling the director of SOLDIER. He had so many questions he had that he knew wouldn't be answered about Riseon and Lazard. She was an executive; she knew how to make a façade seem shockingly real, and she had displayed that this morning, her smile so out of place that it nearly made him flinch. But it was almost as if she was afraid of talking to Lazard. Putting his thoughts aside he opened his phone once more and dialed Lazard's office number.

"This is Lazard speaking," an unusually stern voice filtered through the phone.

"Hello Director, this is Sephiroth."

"Ah, Sephiroth, this is rather unexpected. Why are you calling?" Lazard's unusual tone remained solid.

"Well, as you would know, today I escorted Miss Wolfe to the meeting with Level 5's owner, Mister Owens,"

"Yes,"

"The meeting went well until Mister Owens brought up something inappropriate to Miss Wolfe and from that the meeting turned into a complete disaster." Lazard sighed, knowing that Riseon's temperament had gotten the best of her.

"But if I may say, he shouldn't have brought up the issues that he did. They were too personal for a business meeting." Sephiroth had to throw that in. If Lazard really knew Riseon he would know about her temper and probably jump to conclusions.

"Well, we will just have to negotiate with them on other terms," he suggested to no one in particular. "Sephiroth, if you don't mind me asking…How has Miss Wolfe been acting…I mean, does she seem fine?" Sephiroth now had two options; tell a lie and put Lazard's obvious concern to rest, or tell the truth and almost certainly aggravate the situation.

"With all honesty, Director, she's been acting strange." Sephiroth went on to tell him about her attitude; of course leaving out his suspicion that Lazard had something to do with it. An odd silence came from the other line.

"Very well then, Sephiroth, due to the recent events with Level 5, I will be flying into Costa del Sol. We will establish another meeting and I will accompany both you and Miss Wolfe…" Sephiroth was taken back and a little worried, thinking about how Riseon would take Lazard's presence.

"When do you think you will arrive, sir?" the SOLDIER asked, sustaining his professional manner.

"I'll make arrangements to leave tomorrow morning, so I will arrive sometime in the afternoon. I must attend to a few things before I leave. Take care, Sephiroth." Lazard's reply was delivered quickly and flawlessly, leaving little room for Sephiroth to ask any questions before he heard a click and silence.

Sephiroth hung up and contemplated on whether or not to tell Riseon about Lazard flying in. If he did he would probably get another verbal beat down, restrain himself from physically hurting her, and then set them both back to square one where they hated each other. If he didn't she would still do the same thing, except at a later time.

Sephiroth rose from his chair and walked onto the balcony. He glanced down to her balcony and saw that she must've returned to her room. Burdened by stress, he took a seat on the balcony until the second request that Riseon had made returned to his memory. He briskly made his way to Zack's room.

* * *

Riseon sat crossed-legged on her bed, staring out the open doors of the balcony. She felt strangely tranquil. Every nerve in her body had relaxed in the most comfortable of ways.

She thought about what she needed to do while she was in Costa del Sol. A visit to her house was a necessity, no matter how much she loathed her father at times, her mother always seemed to make her feel better. She needed a new phone, among other things. She would be able to get some things done today whilst showing Zack around. A knock at her door jerked her from her numb state of mind.

"Miss Wolfe!" A youthful voice called from the other side. She rolled her eyes at the young mans enthusiasm and moved from her spot to open the door. The bright smile of Zack Fair greeted her.

"Yes, Zack?" She returned the smile. He was dressed casually, in shorts and a shirt. His smile never faltered.

"I wanted to know if you wanted to get a head start and beat some crowds." Riseon looked into her room at the digital clock which read 1:13.

"Yeah, just give me a minute to get ready, okay?" He nodded excitedly and closed her door. She made little work of her hair and pulled it up in a messy ponytail. Grabbing her wallet, she put her sandals on and made her way out to meet Zack.

* * *

Zack and Riseon had been walking around the metro area for couple hours, stopping by stores, grabbing a bite to eat, their conversations never ending. Riseon had stopped by a local electronics store and bought herself a new cell phone. Not wanting to bring up anything negative; Zack kept his questions to himself. They both had walked from the hotel, through the heart of the city and then made their way to a picnic table near the beach.

"I like it here," he stated plainly, not looking from his ice cream cone.

Riseon's sight shifted from her cell phone to the young man sitting in front of her, "I'm glad you do."

"It's just so…Chill." He looked off at the sea of people walking down the streets and heard cackle come from the woman.

"What an interesting word," she laughed light-heartedly. A small group of teenage girls hurried passed their table, trying to be inconspicuous while they got a closer look at Zack. Riseon took notice and raised a suggestive eyebrow at Zack from above her sunglasses, who in return, looked down and blushed.

"You seem like quite the hit around here." She giggled; they both knew it was true. He had turned many heads since they left the hotel. She couldn't blame them though; Zack was a handsome young man.

"It's so weird. I don't usually get this much…attention in Midgar," he scratched the back of his head.

"I bet you never get out when you're in Midgar. You would get the same amount, if not more attention if you got out." The redhead stated matter-of-factly before dropping her head down to play games on her new cell phone. Zack shrugged and continued to relax in the comfortable silence between the two.

An odd, distorted buzz came from his mobile phone. Zack opened the device up and scowled instantly.

_Pack your things; you're being flown back to Midgar. A chopper will be picking you up at 8PM tonight to accompany me on a mission tomorrow. You will be given more information when you arrive. -Angeal _

"Man…" Zack drawled out, finishing off his ice cream. Riseon's head raised from its slumped position and she quirked an eyebrow.

"I have to leave tonight; urgent mission with Angeal." He sighed, not hiding the fact that he was upset.

"That sucks!" Riseon frowned, saddened by the news of her new friend's departure, but not as upset as she thought she would be. She and Sephiroth had made amends. So as long as she could watch her mouth and he could do the same, she would survive this trip. Zack excused himself to call Angeal, leaving Riseon to her own thoughts.

"What's it like being in SOLDIER?" she had asked him when he had returned from his short phone conversation.

Sitting down he let out what seemed to be a sigh, "Fun…Surreal to be able to work and train with people that you look up to as heroes." A crooked smile was planted on his face, a child-like gleam in his eyes.

"The Great Sephiroth, The Honorable Angeal, and," Riseon paused, an expression of contemplation etched on her face, "The…_Loveless_…Genesis,"

"Is that what people call him?"

"No, I just made that up. But his obsession for Loveless isn't a secret." She chuckled quietly, "I wouldn't be shocked if people did call him that."

"Have you met them?" Zack reached out to seize the cell phone from her hands.

"I'm assuming you mean Angeal and Genesis?" she let go of the device. Zack nodded and started to play with the phone.

"I've never formally met them. I've seen them an awful lot, after all I do make frequent visits to the 49th floor. But I've never talked to them."

"What about Sephiroth? How long have you known him?"

"I've had to work with him a few times in the past two years, so I've known him for awhile. Just not in close proximity like thise," Zack nodded and placed her phone back in front of her. Riseon's eyes locked onto it for a few seconds before she finally spoke again.

"What do they think about me?" The question took Zack off guard, making him go into deep thought.

"Do you want the truth?" He didn't want to tell her the truth. She was a nice enough person around him right now, but he had seen her in the work place; stampeding down hallways, handing out orders to her _superiors_, obscenities and insults being spat out to anyone who got in her way.

"Preferably, I'm not delusional, I know I'm not popular amongst people in the workplace," her tone remained emotionless, but she let a small cynical smile crawl onto her face.

"Well, Angeal doesn't talk much about other people, but he has hinted towards you being a spoiled brat," his voice took complete control although his emotions told him to stop. He understood that Riseon had thick skin, but what he was telling her made him feel bad.

Riseon nodded and crossed her arms, "That's understandable. I'm an admitted brat…Although from the way I've heard people talk about Angeal it seems hard for me to imagine him saying that about somebody."

"He's a passive aggressive kind of guy," he threw in quickly, eliciting a giggle from her, "With all honesty I don't know what Genesis thinks about you. I don't talk to him."

"I'm not surprised. I wouldn't even be surprised if like, half of the company wanted me dead. I'm not a people person." Riseon took a deep breath, "it's not my fault though," the defensiveness and hastiness of the statement made it contradict itself.

She broke through the thick silence, "Okay so get this; a child is from a high stature family, and just happens to look different from his or her siblings so the public addresses the damn thing as illegitimate, then the parents get paranoid and try to make the kid feel better by showering it with unwarranted praise and materialistic gifts, thus making me socially awkward for the rest of my life…" Her brows furrowed and she started to chew on the inside of her bottom lip once again.

Zack's eyes were locked on her; the nearly incoherent rant running through his brain once more. The gradual rise of volume in her voice and the sudden switch from hypothetical to her own experience made him even more confused.

When the point of the rant did register, he was taken over by a new form of confusion. Was her current disposition a not-so-loving gift from her parents spoiling her as a child? He was willing to believe it. But on the same token it was clear that she had self-awareness, which meant that she could very well try to change her attitude and make her life better. Was she stubborn or just lazy?

Riseon continued to chew on her lip, her eyes refusing to look up from the table. Every fiber in her being hated the feeling of embarrassment. She felt weak, vulnerable, and worse of all, out of control. When she was all of these she would manage to get nervous and fuck up again; causing the cycle to repeat itself. Another awkward silence; another moment she could look back on and have the sickening feeling of embarrassment in the pit of her stomach. Her mind wondered back to the events of the night before with Sephiroth.

_Forget about it. Just forget about it._

"Listen—uh, let's just, y'know, forget I even said anything, okay?" She squeaked out, fidgeting in her seat. The offer was met with a nod from the man, and they stood, silently making their way back to the hotel.

* * *

Sephiroth sighed tiredly, closed his eyes and let his head fall sluggishly on the back of the seat. A three hour long dinner party with executives and he had to sit through it doing nothing but looking intimidating. A typical maneuver executed by president ShinRa to remind the people where their place was.

And now he sat in the limo by himself, on his way back to the hotel; which granted, wasn't that far of a drive but he the previous episode he went through made him tremendously impatient.

His eyes snapped open when he remembered the text message he received from Angeal stating that Zack would be leaving tonight. The general's mind started to wonder; not so much about Zack's departure but instead Lazard's arrival, or how the volatile red head would react to both happening within the next twelve hours, one without her slightest bit of knowledge.

The car stopped and Sephiroth exited the car quickly, making his way into the lavish hotel. Not too far into the lobby he stopped by the entrance to the small restaurant when he heard a familiar cackle. Back-tracking, he spotted the red head and the younger SOLDIER sitting at a table in the back of the nearly empty restaurant, both laughing loudly. He slowly walked into the small establishment and was noticed by Zack immediately.

"Sir, you're back!" he smiled brightly at Sephiroth and waved him over. Sephiroth returned the younger mans welcoming with a nod and sat down at the extra chair at their table.

"You want something to eat, sir?" The younger man asked, Sephiroth shook his head and shifted his gaze to Riseon.

"How did the—uh—thingy go?" she said with a mouthful of pasta. Sephiroth scowled at her rude eating behavior.

"Good, I suppose," he paused and watched the red head devour the rest of her pasta in a hasty and messy manner, "Boring, though, I didn't pay attention through half of it."

"Yeah, been there done that." Riseon waved a hand casually. "I try to drink a couple shots before I go to those things to keep myself calm. Doesn't always work out the way I plan, though…"

"That's why President ShinRa calls you a PR nightmare." Sephiroth fought to hold back a smile back.

"Eh, can't say I blame him."

"PR nightmare?" Zack scratched the back of his head, which Riseon now associated with awkwardness or embarrassment.

"Public Relations nightmare. The President basically said that I was an embarrassment to the company."

"Why did you have to go, Sephiroth?" Riseon looked at the general expectantly. He shrugged, flicking his bangs out of his eyes.

Riseon rolled her eyes at his actions, which were painfully deliberate, "Yes, Sephiroth, we know, you're a badass."

"I guess you could say that," He sighed melodramatically but kept his emotionless face stead-fast.

"You _are_ a badass." The red head complimented with all seriousness, causing Sephiroth to raise both eyebrows in surprise.

"You complimented me?"

"I'm not always a bitch." She mumbled under her breath, crossing her arms defensively.

"That's debatable." Sephiroth's comeback was delivered so quickly and fluently that she had to laugh.

A presence disturbed the three; the young waitress had walked up with the check. The waitress was fumbling with everything and avoiding eye contact with Zack and Sephiroth, which instantly made her a target for Riseon. The redhead held back a laugh and took her own sweet time in getting her wallet out and fishing for money. She handed the bill to the woman who in turn, dropped it. Blushing, she squeaked out what seemed to be a jumbled 'I'll be right back' and shuffled off. Sephiroth sent a look of disappointment to Riseon who was now giggling quietly.

"You're sadistic." He scolded, narrowing his eyes mockingly.

"I can't help it." Riseon pouted playfully and went back to drinking her lemonade.

"You know what's weird?" She mused, breaking the long silence that had since occurred, "Sephiroth, you can be a pretty cool guy."

"Thank you, Miss Wolfe," looking up, her eyes locked with his altered ones, the friendliness in them was foreign. His eyes were striking; a fusion of blues and greens surrounding cat-like pupils topped off with the distinct vivid glow of mako. Eerie, but undeniably cool.

"Miss Wolfe, are you going to stop ogling me like a school girl?" Sephiroth teased. Riseon hadn't paid attention to how long she had been looking at him, but due to Sephiroth's comment and Zack's snigger, she'd expected it had been awhile. She felt her face heat up, her mind racing to find a suitable, witty comeback.

"O-only when you stop being ogle-worthy." Riseon's brain seemed to be on some sort of delay. In her head it sounded fine, but when it left her mouth she was humiliated beyond all human comprehension. Noticing his smirk grow maliciously; she quickly stood from the table, wincing as she hit her thigh painfully, and made her way to exit the restaurant. The waitress had stopped her to return the change; Riseon snatched it abruptly and shoved the poor girl out of the way to leave.

She leaned against the wall near the elevators and put her burning face in her hands.

_Why the __**fuck**__ did I say that?_

_Riseon, m'dear, __**you**__ are a dip shit. _

_That wasn't suitable. _

_That wasn't witty. _

_That wasn't even a comeback._

_That was an inappropriate, shitty, flirtatious come on._

* * *

**Reviews are love! **


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Okay, this one, along with the next three, were written not to long after I (not-so-officially) finished chapter 5, so that's why it's coming out so soon. After 9 though, expect a 1 to 2 week period between chapters.

Also, I wanted to thank you guys for reviewing, I really appreciate it! =]

Disclaimer: Nothing. At. All.

* * *

**Action**

"Hey Jess…Is it weird…That every time I'm in the bathroom I feel like I'm the wisest person on the planet?" Riseon asked, fixing her hair and talking to two friends over the phone.

"Um…Yeah…" the female voice on the other end drawled out then laughed, causing a weird echo to reverberate off of the bathroom walls "Riseon, you need help—"

"You shut the fuck up before I fly my ass back to Midgar and beat the shit out of you." Riseon interrupted, trying to sound malicious but failing miserably and letting out a laugh.

"Oh, yeah, dumb ass, keep threatening me and let me pull out my nine on you,"

"I'm so frightened, really, I am," Riseon replied dryly, turning on the faucet to wet her toothbrush.

"Are you peeing?" A masculine voice asked, a playful tone seeping through.

"Yes, Dom, she's pissing her pants 'cause I threatened to pop a cap in her ass."

"How the _fuck_ do I manage to meet people like you?" Riseon sighed and started to brush her teeth.

"You love us, now go run off and fuck the General like a good girl while Jess and I talk about important things," Dom teased, making the red head reach forward and scream jumbled obscenities into the phone with a mouthful of toothpaste.

Two laughs sounded over the phone and Riseon's face started to burn, and regardless of them being not being able to see her she cradled her face in her hands.

"Chill out Rise, I was just joking," Dominic laughed loudly, sounding like he was on the verge of tears.

"Don't make nicknames for me, and I know you were, but think of the fragile state I'm in right now. I have no emotional capacity to handle your raunchy, sick, twisted—"

"And utterly hilarious sense of humor," Jess interrupted her, laughing.

"Aw, thank you, Jessica,"

"Listen, just don't make any notion of sexual desire towards the General," Riseon snapped, cleaning up the mess of toothpaste on the counter and mirror, "I might vomit."

"Riseon, you lying bitch, don't tell me that you haven't looked at him and thought 'Goddammit, I wish his cock was in my—'"

"Dom, with all due respect, shut the fuck up."

"But seriously, Rise, consider it," Jess threw in, "Because if you slept with him and told me all about it I could finally tell off all those damn fan girls I work with."

"Please, don't call me that, it's awkward being nicknamed after a type of food," she picked up the phone and stepped out of the bathroom to get dressed, "But since when am I some object used to have sex with very desirable people so you can brag about—"

"Sephiroth's a very desirable person? So you admit you wanna sex him up!" Dominic accused loudly, making the phone vibrate.

"No I didn't!"

"Oh, yes you did!"

"Dom! I'm serious, stop it." Riseon begged, which was out of character for her but she wasn't really in an attacking kind of mood today.

"Okay, I will, sweetie," he sighed, "but only if you sleep with him…"

"I hate you." Riseon replied, not being able to contain her laugh.

"So, anyways, I gotta go. I have so much work to do today…"

"Why?" Riseon asked, he was an assistant for one of Lazard's personal assistants, which meant he really didn't have to do a lot of work.

"Lazard's not coming into work today. He had to leave for somewhere earlier this morning. Didn't say where, though…" Riseon's eyes narrowed, Lazard never was the kind of person to just take off somewhere without telling everyone who worked for him.

"…So I guess I'll talk to you guys later, bye," she heard a click come from Dom's line.

"Well I guess I'll get off, I have to go into work early today," Jessica sighed, "Those damn fan girls don't take notice of when the store needs to be opened so I have to fuckin' do it."

"Heh, okay, have fun," Riseon chuckled before she hung up. She got dressed and put some makeup on before making her way into the hallway. While walking to the elevators across from the entrance to the particular hallway leading down to her room, she prayed that Sephiroth would have enough decency to let go of the slip of tongue that had happened the night before, and forget that it even happened.

"What floor, ma'am," a pretty lady with her family asked once Riseon was in the glass elevator.

Riseon looked up from the floor and glanced at the buttons. First was already pushed so she idly motioned hand to it and told her she was heading to the lobby. Moments later, the glass elevator was pretty much packed, making Riseon more nervous by the second. She'd always had some sort of sick fantasy that a glass elevator would fall at the drop of the hat, hence why whenever she was in Midgar she avoided them like the plague.

"I know—Yeah, I won't let things get too out of control tonight! I promise y—No, honey it's not going to be as crazy as Jeff's bachelor party—No, no, no, there're not going to be strippers…There were no strippers at my bachelor party!…I love—Well, I don't think you should—"

Riseon decided to block out everything from the outside world at that moment. The deadly combination of two kids crying, a teenager yapping away to another teenager, an old couple bickering and a loud man talking to his wife over the phone about strippers was enough to make Riseon wish that her fantasy would come true.

Her side was pressed against the glass of the elevator, facing the lobby and the restaurant near the entrance. She let her eyes wonder through the now crowded lobby, trying to find the recognizable General.

Her breath stopped when she found him. He was leaning up against a wall near the restaurant, smiling at a very familiar blonde man in front of him. Riseon had to shake her head multiple times to see straight and her stomach and palms were pressed up against the glass. Her eyes narrowed to try to focus more on the person, and then her stomach completely dropped.

"Son of a bitch!" Her voice left her before she could stop it. And it left pretty loudly too, causing everyone in the elevator to glace at her. She didn't care at that moment about what people thought of her. All she cared about was getting her hands on Lazard, hitting him multiple times, and asking him why he was there to ruin her vacation.

_As well as pushing him down on the nearest flat surface and fucking his brains out…_

Riseon shook her head violently at the thought and she finally noticed that the elevator had stopped. She stormed out of it and made herself calm down before confronting them.

_Riseon, you got this. Just remain calm…_

_**Rip Sephiroth's hair out!**_

…_and professional…_

_**Scream your fucking lungs out at them both!!**_

…_and whatever you do; don't let them know your upset._

_**Have angry sex with Lazard!**_

Riseon straightened herself up and peeked around the corner, at where the two men were standing. Seeing the two men laughing it up and having a relaxed conversation made Riseon's blood boil; she fisted her hands tightly into the sides of her long skirt and gritted her teeth.

"—and worst of all, she explodes and starts throwing a tantrum." Sephiroth's voice carried to her hiding spot and her head snapped to look at him.

_That sonuvabitch._

Both of the men laughed and Riseon stomach dropped with a mixture of rage, humiliation, and sadness. Her eyes searched frantically for something big, something hard, and something that would hurt on impact. She dropped her gaze on a large vase sitting on the table to her left and she picked it up, tossed the fake flowers out and hurled it at the both of them. Glass broke, conversations stopped, and people looked at her when she sprinted in the opposite direction.

Everything blurred passed her as she ran for the back staircase, away from the elevators, and away from Sephiroth and Lazard. She navigated her way through the crowd of people, trying her best to blend in, although she knew that if Sephiroth had followed her, he could easily see her.

Once inside the dark, secluded stair case, she darted up the stairs, her legs burning. She was in no way, shape, or form a physically fit person, and it really showed when she had to stop on the 4th floor to take a break from running. She fell forward, her hands on her knees, her breathing erratic and heavy. She shook her head as regret finally reared its ugly head and the sickening feeling of embarrassment returned.

Her head snapped up when a loud bang sounded from the bottom of the stairwell. She closed her eyes tight and slowly maneuvered to sit down on a step. The recognizable sound of boots hitting the metal steps followed, and she knew all too well who they belonged to.

"Miss Wolfe you act like a child," a deep voice spoke, "what on Gaia made you do such a stupid thing?" She looked to her right and saw the top of his silver head as he slowly walked up the stairs.

"You know nothing about me, so don't call me a child—"

"Actions speak much louder than words, and while you could have confronted Lazard and I like an adult, you insist on throwing an inanimate object at us for no reason." He now stood directly in front of her, towering over her in a frightening manner.

"You were talking about me," she spat defensively; "I don't necessarily call that something that adults would do!"

Sephiroth shook his head, "You really have no concept of reality. People are going to talk about you, Miss Wolfe, weather you like it or not. People have been talking negatively about you since the day you were born."

"How the fuck do you know about that?" she hissed maliciously, staring at him with narrow eyes.

"I have my resources…" Sephiroth waved a hand idly and leaned against the wall across from her, "Miss Wolfe, the point is, you're not a child anymore, you're older than I am, and it's about time you realized that this universe does not revolve around you."

Riseon felt her heart beat quicken in pace, her face rise in temperature, and her legs regain power as she stood up and clenched her fists at her sides.

"You know nothing about me," she repeated, her eyes not leaving the floor.

"Then, pray tell, why did you throw that vase?"

Riseon was silent for a minute, lost in her own thoughts, trying to piece together an answer.

"Because I didn't want to see the man that I love speaking to the man that I hate," she spat, turning abruptly, making her way up the stairs. A deep, malevolent laugh made its way to her ears, making her body become rigid.

"So that's why you've been on edge. You love Lazard, but he doesn't love you back…"

"Shut up," she gripped the hand rail, her whole being ablaze with nothing but detestation for the man laughing at her.

"You can't handle rejection. Oh, it all makes sense now, that's why you made me call him! That's why you broke your damn phone and were so upset that night!" His chuckle sent shockwaves of anger throughout her body, making her shake with fury. Dashing back down the stairs, she now stood in front of the man.

His laughter stilled as he stared down at her, amusement plastered on his face and an eyebrow raised. She paused for a minute, staring into his eyes, which last night seemed so welcoming to her now seem freakishly mutated.

"What Miss Wolfe?" He asked, mock professionalism dripping from his voice. Riseon couldn't explain what she felt at this moment. She stood in front of the man who had, in a matter of five minutes, caused years of retained anger and sadness rise from the back of her mind to taunt her.

Sephiroth grabbed her hand carefully, which was clenching and twitching repeatedly. She wanted to hit him; that was painfully obvious. He felt a sense of pride in breaking down her defense system and making her lose complete control. His eyes found her face, her dilated eyes staring down at their hands.

"Think about your actions, Riseon," his voice drawled out her name, making an odd sensation run through her body. He tilted his head down to hers, merely inches between the two. Her breath hitched and she looked up at him. They stayed like that for a while, silent, his hand gripping hers lightly, his eyes locked on hers.

Riseon snapped back into reality and yanked her hand away from his. She took a step back and looked back down at her hand, rubbing her wrist where his hand was tightly wrapped around it.

"I hate you," she whispered, looking back up at him, "you mock me for something that I can't help. You…" she took a shaky breath and closed her eyes.

"Yes, Miss Wolfe?" he brought a hand up to rest on her shoulder, looking down at her expectantly. She pushed his hand away and opened her eyes.

"You are sticking your nose where it doesn't need to be. Stay out of my relationships, stay out of my business, and stay out of my life." Her hand flew up to slap him.

Everything was a blur; she felt her hand rise up, she heard a slap, she didn't feel the contact on her hand, but instead his hand wrapped painfully around her wrist again. Riseon didn't comprehend what happened until she felt a sting across her cheek. Her eyes closed when she felt tears threatening to spill from them.

Sephiroth watched as she brought her hands to cradle her face, and before she could he had pushed her painfully against the wall by her shoulders. Riseon whimpered as a jolt of pain ran through her back.

"Miss Wolfe, I'm going to remain in your business until you learn to grow up." He hissed through his teeth, leaning dangerously close to her.

Riseon looked up at him, fear written across her face. She'd never been called out like this before, none the less by someone as frightening as Sephiroth. Her knees seemed to give out and the only support given to her was his tight grip on her shoulders.

"W-why? Why do you insist on," she paused awkwardly, gulping, "—on…" she trailed off.

"Why do I insist on remaining in your business?" Sephiroth's voice had calmed down, and his grip loosened upon hearing the fear he elicited from her. She nodded and looked away from his eyes, trying to find something else to keep her attention.

"Because as long as you keep up your childish behavior; I have to follow you around and clean up your mess." His voice was gentle but stern, and he backed away from her. Riseon leaned against the wall, her hand cradling the side of her face, a mixture of confusion and pain dancing across it.

"Why did you hit me?" She squeaked, refusing to look at him. Sephiroth tilted his head slightly to the side and brought a hand up rest on her shoulder.

"Because you were going to hit me," his smirk sent a feeling of disgust to her stomach; he was toying with her. Riseon pulled herself together mentally and walked past him.

Sephiroth noticed the grimace on her face and frowned, "Don't make it seem like I'm the bad guy here."

"Too late for that," she muttered, rubbing the side of her face once more and making her way up the stairs.

"Wait," a hand gripped hers and pulled her back down to the platform he was standing on, "I'm not going to apologize, but I wanted to make sure we have a mutual understanding."

Her eyebrows furrowed and she stared at him with disbelief, "You have got to be fucking kidding me, right?"

"I'm not, Miss Wolfe." He looked at her with utmost seriousness, but she still doubted him.

"Yeah," she scoffed, pulling her hand out of his grip, "We're totally on a mutual understanding— and I mean it. No sarcasm intended." She rolled her eyes before taking off.

Her footsteps echoed through the stairwell as she ran up the steps. Sephiroth stood with a puzzled expression, trying to make sense of what just happened.

* * *

"How dare he do that me!" Riseon slammed the door to her room and fell onto her bed, face down, mumbling to herself.

…_He's a fucking dick…_

A knock at her door.

…_goddamn I hope he gets captured by Wutai troops…_

Another knock.

…_and is brutally… _

"Riseon?"

…_cruelly… _

"Can I come in?"

…_unusually…_

"Hello?"

…_.tortured… _

"I'm coming in…"

…_in the worst fucking way possible...._

Riseon heard the door open, but didn't look up. She recognized the voice, and her heart swelled at the level of concern in it. The bed weighed down next to her and she finally brought up her head.

"Hey," the blonde man looked down at her, a ghost of a smile tracing across his features.

"Hn." Riseon sniffled and propped herself on her elbows.

"Riseon," Lazard sighed, bringing a hand to rest on her back, "What made you do such a chi—"

"Childish thing, yeah, yeah, I get it." Rolling her eyes she adjusted her skirt to where she could face him comfortably.

His eyes narrowed and he brought a hand up to touch the side of her face, gently stroking it. Riseon closed her eyes and leaned into his hand, "Did you—?"

The red head's eyes snapped open and her hand clasped over his, bringing it down. Riseon felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach when the gears in her head started to turn. She looked away from him, deciding that she was going to milk Sephiroth's slap for all it was worth.

"Sephiroth—he h-hit me."

"What? Did he hit you hard?" His eyes widened and he brought his hands to the sides of her face, turning her to look at him. She looked him in the eye and started to cry silently.

"He just slapped me…I—," she sighed, feeling the guilt rising up in her stomach once more. This was wrong, and she knew it, but Riseon forced herself to push on.

"Riseon…I didn't know he would do that, I'm sorry…I will speak with him about this—" Lazard stood up, getting ready to leave.

"O-Okay, just wait, stay with me for a while." Riseon pouted slightly and stood up next to him, wrapping her arm around his neck. Lazard sighed deeply and brought her face directly before his, placing a sweet kiss on her cheek. She pulled him into an embrace. Resting her head on his shoulder, she couldn't stop the conniving smirk that was growing on her face.

The General would regret ever fucking with her.

* * *

Please review! =] Good or bad, I don't care.


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